Demolition of the current community center at Ambrister Park will commence in the next six weeks, clearing the way for a new building twice its size, with an estimated completion date of July 2027.
After six years of planning, Esther Mae Ambrister Park is finally getting a new community center, a $9.5 million investment by the City of Miami that will anchor the sports-oriented park at the corner of Grand Avenue and Jefferson Street.
The 10,000-square-foot, two-story structure will double the size of the current building, with nearly 2,000 square feet of space for community gatherings, classrooms, an art room, a warming kitchen, restrooms and storage space for sports equipment.
Demolition of the existing building is expected to begin in April, with construction projected to take just over a year and completion targeted for July 2027.
During construction, the playground and sports fields will remain open, separated from construction by fencing. Portable bathrooms will be placed alongside the playing fields for families and athletes to use in the interim.
Jose Perez, the director of the city’s Office of Capital Improvements, told neighborhood residents last week at a community meeting that the city is not anticipating any street disruption or closures during the construction.
The new community center was first proposed in 2020 by former Miami District 2 Commissioner Ken Russell, with funding approved in late 2024.
Read More: Funding Approved for Armbrister Park’s New Community Center
As the project gets off the ground, neighborhood residents and school officials had a chance last week to ask questions and express concerns, one of which involved the impact on children who attend public schools next door to the project.
More than 1,500 elementary and middle school students pass by the park on their way to and from George Washington Carver Elementary and Middle School during the school year, whether they walk to school, take a bus, or are dropped by their parents.
“The biggest impact is going to be on the schools,” middle school principal Iliana Artime told city officials. “A lot of the kids just walk right out and they’re going to get into mischief if we don’t have it [the project construction] well secured.”
Artime and fellow principal Patricia Fairclough, who heads the elementary school, asked city officials to share more information about safety protocols and construction scheduling with school officials and parents to avoid confusion and disruption.
The existing community center is used by many students after dismissal, several of whom attend the center’s after-school programs.
Programming will be transferred to nearby Elizabeth Virrick Park while construction is underway, with transportation to be provided. Summer camps will also be expanded at Virrick Park to accommodate children in the summer months.
“There will be no hiccups in any services provided to the community or for the kids for their after-school and sports programming,” said Alysia Dyer, a City of Miami employee who oversees community center programming.
Also top of mind last week for meeting participants was sports programming in the park.
“This is a sports facility,” said Kimberly Davis, who organizes sports programming in the park as president of the Coconut Grove Optimists Club. “Let’s not water it down.”
Some community requests — such as a locker room and a full concession stand, typically associated with sports fields — did not make it into the final plans.
Davis suggested that the new center’s other features, like the proposed art gallery walk, should incorporate a sports motif to keep the building focused on athletics.
The architecture of the new community center will reflect the neighborhood’s Bahamian roots. Designed by architect Craig Aquart of MCHarry & Associates, a resident of Coconut Grove, the building will include a metal roof, covered veranda, sash windows and a Caribbean blue exterior.
“We want the feel of the Bahamas and Caribbean style architecture of this area. And I think the building really hit the mark,” Perez said.
The community center will also serve as a resiliency hub, distribution center and recharging station in the event of a major storm.
Grove residents asked city officials to ensure that the new building, like a classroom in the former building, honors Carolyn Evans Payne, the first African-American parks and recreation supervisor for the City of Miami. Payne also taught kindergarten at the park, then called Carver Park or Grand Avenue Park, for 35 years.
As part of last week’s community meeting, city officials also updated residents on plans for the new swimming pool at Virrick Park. The pool, with a slide area, lap swim lanes, a new administration building and locker rooms, is set to open in late April with a community celebration. A final date has not yet been announced.
The community has been without a public pool since 2020 when the facility was closed due to deterioration. Four years of construction and $13 million later, the project is coming to a close.
“This community hasn’t had a pool for a very, very long time and it’s about time that this pool opens,” said Daniel Lopez from the city’s Parks and Recreation Aquatics Division. “This really is a big deal.”
